Sep 174 min read

Creative Inspiration: A Guide to Honing the Skill of Accessing it.

Updated: Oct 3

Creative Inspiration: A Guide to Honing the Skill of Accessing it.

Accessing creativity is a skill that can be honed...

Some of my favorite Inspirations...

Walking into the studio some days can be like opening a surprise, you don't know what your will get. If I am wanting to work, but not feeling particularly inspired to focus on anything in particular, I will visit the studio and just putter.

~ Organizing my paints or brushes ~

~ Tidying up the space and putting away the detritus of my last studio session ~

~Making a cup of tea and pulling some of my favorite books from the shelf to flip through ~

~Organizing a few of my favorite props or items gathered during excursions and travels~

~Revisiting old sketchbooks, or pulling out old paintings that could use a

refresh and imagining how they could be altered and improved~

~sitting with a blank journal page and letting the words flow with a simple prompt~

~Creating and photographing a flat lay scene~

Often the simple act of preparing my palette and putting out fresh paint will sink me into that creative space.

Art tools, brushes books pigment and some inspirational items, stones, blue ceramic horses, a pewter vase

These are some of the activities I do to get my creative inspiration flowing. It usually doesn't take long before I am itching to paint, or sculpt, or write, or work on a new illustration. But these practices are are derived from my creative space and how I use and fill it.

A creative space that inspires you is just as important as what you do in it.

Everyone is different. Even if you are not a creative, that is to say – not an artist, potter, writer, or whatever – you still have access creative inspiration in your life. Maybe it is in the way you solve problems, or plan your projects, perhaps you build things or cook. Maybe you are in marketing, or interior design, or landscaping.

It doesn't matter what you do,

everyone has access to creative flow,

and uses it in some way.

Don't wait for your creative inspiration to arrive.

Gather the tools you use for your work or hobbies, create as space where you can organize them, it could be as small and simple as a desk in your home.

Next add things that inspire you, they can be magazine articles or mood boards, a favorite photograph, a shell or stone you brought back from the beach, a feather you found. It doesn't matter, as long as you associate it with a feeling you want to recapture.

Desk with journaling books and tools, a sculpture and a pair of glasses — My studio desk

Take a few minutes to contemplate these items.

Think about something you did or a place you went that made you feel the most inspired. Being around items that evoke and remind us of feeling inspired is one of the easiest ways to get into the creative flow.

This next part is so important....

Give yourself time to play!

Nothing kills the creative flow like outside expectations and obligations. When we try to force something to be good, we put pressure on the creative experience that either stifles it, or sends it into hiding completely.

If you want your creative inspiration to flourish, give it room to grow and expand.

The best way you do that is to play.

~Doodle~

~Write some poetry~

~Experiment~

~Create a small collage~

~Make some music~

It doesn't matter what you do, as long as you have fun!

sculpture tools with a sculpture behind — Sculpting Tools

Perhaps your inspiration can be found in traveling...

open archway in a fort on the coast of Portugal — Portugal

Immersion in a completely different place has the ability to catapult us into a different state of being, one where we are exposed to new and interesting experiences.

Finding your Muse

Whatever it is that sparks your curiosity, your admiration, or joy, and gives you that expansive sense of freedom, fostering your aspirations, that is your muse.

Hold onto it, spend time with it, even in your memories, and let its essence fill your life. As the link between it and your creative flow strengthens and grows, eventually, it will only take a brief dive into your muse to activate your creative inspiration.

Always take time to play

Nurture that inspiration by giving it room to be whatever it needs to be.

This is a sacred act.

Do not try to control it, let your curiosity guide you and take you into a new space. Try not to judge what comes from your creative play sessions, they may simply be an exercise in finding that creative flow, they may not be meant for the rest of the world, so protect your creative energy if you need to.

Often they involve experimentation and trying new things outside of your comfort zone. Your creations, in whatever form they take, may be too new and vulnerable to share yet, and that is ok.